It is obvious that the fall and pumpkin spice vibes have been forgotten about and everywhere you go now its full on holiday mode.
The past few years I noticed that the popular holiday food & drink items were always “peppermint mocha” or “peppermint chocolate” themed. This year, that trend seems to be dead (except for those loyal peppermint lovers) and everywhere I look its all about gingerbread!
I am not going to lie…this is kind of exciting to me, I love the combination of spices that make up the gingerbread flavour. What isn’t so great, is most (or all for that matter) of the ingredients used to make these treats that you can find in the stores.
So, I thought it would be good to share not one, but two gingerbread recipes that you can make at home and enjoy throughout this holiday season!
One thing I really want to highlight here is that in conventional gingerbread recipes the use of molasses is typically meant to be “fancy molasses”. The recipes I am sharing today both use blackstrap molasses. (You can click on that link to read more about the benefits of blackstrap molasses).
To summarize, using fancy molasses is only going to give you a subtle taste of molasses and lots of extra sugar and not much nutritional value (vitamins and minerals). Using blackstrap molasses, there are many more benefits than just adding flavour. It has less sugar, way more iron (a great source of iron actually if you suffer with low iron - reach out and I can give you some tips about how you can take it as a natural iron supplement), calcium, magnesium, B vitamins and many more essential nutrients.
Therefore, by making these recipes not only are you getting extra nutrients, you are getting a delicious holiday treat as well that the whole family can enjoy….or you can keep all to yourself, that is your cal!
Gingerbread Latte
Ingredients:
1/2 cup coffee (if you are not a coffee drinker you could use an herbal “coffee” blend. I like Dandy Blend. Or - you can also use Earl Grey tea!)
1 tsp blackstrap molasses **
1/2 cup organic coconut milk (full fat)
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of cloves
Directions:
Add all ingredients to saucepan and heat thoroughly
Remove from heat and add to blender, blend until frothy. If you do not have a blender - whisk vigorously.
Pour into your favourite mug and enjoy !
Gingerbread Man Protein Cookies
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
3 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp blackstrap molasses **
1 egg
1/4 cup tapioca flour (or any kind of flour, for dusting)
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375 and line baking sheet with parchment paper
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl, set aside
Combine wet ingredients in separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing until a dough consistency forms.
Dust flat surface with flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin and cut out shapes!
Place on baking sheet, cook for 8-10 minutes.
Let cool & enjoy
**Notes:
One thing to be clear about when getting blackstrap molasses, please buy an organic - un-sulphured kind. I have had success with this at the Bulk Barn or Super Store in the natural food section.
Also, I realize there is no actual ginger in the recipe for gingerbread cookies and that may seem “odd”. However, it was just to simplify the recipe and not have too many ingredients. You will still get the same gingerbread taste from the spices used. If you want to add ginger, I would recommend using 1/4 tsp ground ginger - this will add more of that spicy taste to the cookie.
I hope you enjoyed this post, and if you tried out these recipes let me know how they went for you!
Allyson
Struggling with your health goals and your diet? Holistic Nutritionist Allyson Lewis offers complimentary discovery consultations to see if you are a good candidate for a holistic program. Call our office, 902-270-7022 to speak with Allyson, or start your conquest by booking with her by clicking HERE.